lesson mod acts

LESSON 10: ELEMENTS OF POETRY& PHRASE & CLAUSE MODIFIERS

LESSON 6: ELEMENTS OF DRAMA AND TYPES OF SENTENCES

Communication Arts in English 8

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UNIT III


Pre-testA. Identify what is being decribed in each statement. Choose from the pool

of words below.

_______________ 1. This a word may call to mind other meanings or ideas associated with

the word.

_______________ 2. This is revealed through the meaning of words, images, and symbols.

_______________ 3. This refers to the manner in which words are arranged and fit together in

particular.

_______________ 4. This employs identical sounds from the vowel of the accented syllables to

the end.

_______________ 5. This is the result of a combination of elements.

B. Box the modifier used in each sentence. Then on the blank, write AC if it is an adjective clause, or AP if adjective phrase.

_____ 1. I met a man who works with your uncle.

_____ 2. Put that box of clothes down here.

_____ 3. I found the illustrations that I needed.

_____ 4. My sister is the one in the pink sweater.

_____ 5. I lost the sweater that my Aunt Mary made me.

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structure sense connotation

sound rhyme

Lesson

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Since the meaning of a poem is much more complex than the simply informative statements found in prose forms, the reader needs to consider the following aspects of language; sense, sound, and structure.

Diction – refers to the denotative and connotative meanings or symbols.

o Denotation – the meaning of a word which refer to an object, idea, action or quality.

o Connotation – a word may call to mind other meanings or ideas associated with the word. e.g. childlike and childish. Although they both mean

characteristics of a child, the former suggests meekness, innocence and wide-eyed wonder, while the latter calls to mind pettiness, wilfulness and temper tantrums.

Images and Sense Impressions – refer to sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, motion and emotion. The expressions that appeal to these senses enable the reader to “perceive” or “experience” the implied feeling-meaning of the poem. Consider this poem:

FogThe fog comeson little cat feet.

It sits lookingover harbor and cityon silent haunchesand then moves on.

Carl Sandburg

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Sense is revealed through the meaning of words, images, and symbols.

Connotation is important to poetry for it concentrates and enriches meaning so that more is said in fewer words.

The comparison of the fog to cat appeals to the reader’s motion sense: the silent, graceful, hardly noticeable and nonchalant coming of the fog and its quiet lifting off towards some unknown direction as it gets dissipated.

The language of poetry is not only suggestive, it is also vivid. Too recreate experience or present ideas, attitudes and feelings, poets usually use images.


Figures of Speech – The creation of mental images usually involves the use of figures of speech. A figure speaks of one thing, usually an abstraction in terms of something else, something concrete and sensory. There is usually an observable association or similarity between the thing talked about and the terms used.

A metaphor has two parts – the vehicle and tenor. The vehicle carries the weight of comparison and the tenor is the implied meaning.

There are quite a number of figures of speech, but only about a dozen are frequently used. We will discuss further on this in Lesson 11.

The sound of words is important in making total sense, for no two words, no two sounds, ever have exactly the same meaning

For example, in the line from Milton: “And I shall shortly be with them that rest”

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In the poem Fog, the vehicle is the cat to which the fog is compared with its qualities of quiet graceful movement; and the implied meaning is the quiet gathering of fog and its similarly silent dissipation over the harbor and city.

Metaphor is the general term applied to several figures of association.

Sound is the result of a combination of elements.

If the line is changed to something similar like “And I shall soon be with those who rest”, although the meaning is the same, the line is no longer the same kind of poetry. Poets carefully choose the words they use not only for their meanings but also for their sound. Specific sounds suggest certain ideas and feelings.

Nasals [/m/ /n/ /ng/] suggest humming

Liquid consonants [/l/ /s/ /sh/] something soft, easy, and flowing

Fricatives [/f/ /v/ /ᶿ/ /ᶞ/] something lingering or continuous

Stops [/p/ /b/ /k/ /g/ /t/ /d/] imply an abrupt end or finality


There are three categories under which we can study the uses of sounds on poetry:

Tone Color – the sound of letters and words.

o Repetition of Single Sounds – Subtle examples of tone color are found when single sounds are repeated.

Alliteration – involves the repetition of initial consonant sounds.e.g. Wicked and wan, threatening and throngs.

Assonance - use repetition of vowels without repetition of consonant sounds.e.g. Ring and hild, calamo and platano.

Consonance - repeats the final consonant sounds, also called a slant rhyme.e.g. Dreary and weary, odds and ends.

Rhyme - employs identical sounds from the vowel of the accented syllables to the end.e.g. Hold, told, mold, gold and die, sky, my, fly, pie.

o Repetition of Words – the simplest and clearest example of tone color. Though it may become wearisome, it is one of the most effective in poetry.

o Repetiton of Sentences or Phrases

Anaphora - repeats a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive clauses or verses.e.g. Cannon to the right of them / Cannon to the left of them.

Rhythm - ordered recurrent alternation of strong and weak elements in the flow of sound and silence; duple, triple, running or common rhyme.

Rhyme Scheme – formal arrangement of rhymes in a stanza or the whole poem.

Meter - stress, duration, or number of syllables per line; fixed metrical pattern, or a verse form, quantitative, syllabic, accentual, and accentual syllabic

The last element of poetry is the structure.

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Traditional poetry has measured rhythm – a regular verse or line pattern whose unit of measure is the foot. A foot usually contains one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables.


The first aspect would refer to knowing the rules of grammar, syntax, punctuation, capitalization, and others pertaining to language usage. The correct as well as the creative use of these may lead in understanding apoetic text better. Some of these are the following:

Word Order – this refers to the arrangement of words.

e.g. A narrow Fellow in the Grass Occasionally rides--- You have met Him---did you not His notice sudden is---

- Emily Dickenson

Syntax – in the formation of phrases and sentences, poets may fracture syntax for a desired effect. The passage below simply means “And why does the best hope sown not bloom?”, yet somehow it does not seem what the poetic line means.

e.g. And why unbloom the best hope ever sown. – Thomas Hardy

Ellipsis – leaving out certain words results in both economy and peculiar effect. Missing in the second line in the verse below are the words “in which” (my captain lies); and on the third “Who has” (fallen cold and dead).

e.g. But I with mournful tread, Walk the deck my captain lies Fallen called and dead

-Walt Whitman

Punctuation – or the lack of it also provide meaning clues. Take a look at the example above by Dickenson where she uses dashes.

e.g. anyone lived in pretty how town (with up so many floating bells down) spring summer autumn winter he sang his didn’t, he danced his did

-e.e. cummings Pay attention to the way words are printed or strung together.

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Structure refers to two things: (1) the manner in which words are arranged and fit together in particular, and (2) the organization of the parts in a complex entity to form a whole.


e.g. Buffaloo Bill’s defunct

who used toride a watersmooth-silver stallion

and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethatJesus

He was a handsome man-e.e. cummings

Work on This!In each oval, write some descriptions of yourself (who you are now) and in the cloud, the kind of person you will be in the future.

Show your work to your facilitator.

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Who am I

now?

Who will I be in the

future?


There’s a story in every poem. There are many feelings that may come in it, it may be happy, sad, pleading, afraid, hopeful or determined. A poet expresses these emotions through his/her words. For us to feel the emotion of the poet we must not only read the words but we also have to extract them, drink them and digest them.

A poet who uses this style is a lyric poet. A lyric poem usually deals with patriotism, love, loyalty, joy, failure, and dream.

Read this poem and find out what emotions are present here.

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Air Castlesby Juan F. Salazar

My life’s tomorrow beckons meFrom distant mountains high and low;My future seems a boundless sea,Where moving passions come and go.

Deep in my heart ambition dwells;He cheers me up the highland,And guides me through the hills and dellsWhere I pass the busy day.

I cannot write with Shakespeare’s pen,But I can love with Shakespeare’s heart;I love his skill his craft of men,His mastery of poet’s art.

I do not care for fame, as he,Enthroned was like unto a god:The depths he reached are dark to me.But I will grope the ways he tried.I wear achievement’s coronet.For best are they who see things done!And all my cares I soon forgetWhen I have wrought my work alone.

If I be met by adverse fate,And all my dreams but in vain;Then, must I work the harder yetWith high resolve to try again.


Learn About Words: Before reading the selection, answer the vocabulary activity below. This will help you understand the poem better.

Look for the meaning of the following words in the dictionary. Then use each in a sentence.

1. beckon - ___________________________________________________________

-____________________________________________________________

2. passion - ___________________________________________________________

-____________________________________________________________

3. dell - ______________________________________________________________

-_______________________________________________________________

4. craft- ______________________________________________________________

-______________________________________________________________

5. enthrone - _________________________________________________________

-__________________________________________________________

6. grope - ____________________________________________________________

-_____________________________________________________________

7. coronet - __________________________________________________________

-___________________________________________________________

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How Well Did You Read?

Now that you have finished reading the poem, it’s time to find out how much you understood from the text. Simply answer the questions below in your notebook.

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1. What is an air castle?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the air castle of the speaker?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Shakespeare is mentioned in the third stanza, do you know who is he? What does the speaker say about him?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What do you think is the message of the speaker in the last stanza? Do you agree or disagree with him? Why or why not?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Do you have your own air castle? What are they? Is it possible for you to reach your air castle? How?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Grammar in Focus

Study the sentences that follow:

My future seems a boundless sea where moving passions come and go. And all my cares I soon forget when I have wrought my work alone.

The highlighted words in the sentences above are what we call modifiers.

Study the following sentences:

This is my pen which I value the most. Don who is my bestfriend gave it. That’s the place where we conduct our experiment.

What group of words describes the pen? How about Don? What describes the place? These group of words are what we call adjective clauses. Just like a single-word adjective, it is used to describe a noun or a pronoun.

Work on This!Match the subject in Column A with its predicate in Column B to form a sentence. Write only the letter before each number.

A B_____1. It is the place a. who never fails to keep in touch with me._____2. We applauded the speaker b. who came from different places are satisfied_____3. Many participants c. where I attended the seminar._____4. He is the boy d. who delivered a very good speech._____5. He signed the book e. which I bought.

Another kind of modifier is the adjective phrase.

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Modifiers are not only made up of one word. There are other kinds of modifiers that are made up of a group of words. This group of words can either be a phrase or a clause.

A clause is a group of words that has its own subject and predicate.Adjective clauses are introduced by the following: who, whose, whom (for persons), which, and that (for things), where (for places), and when (for dates and time).Adjective clauses are placed right after the words they describe.


Study the following sentences:

The flowers in the garden beautify the surrounding. The woman wearing a green dress is my mother. The poem written on a piece of wood is mine.

Look at the italicized group of words in each sentence. What word is used to introduce the adjective phrase? How about in the second sentence? In the third?

Work on This!Match the subject in Column A with its predicate in Column B to form a sentence. Write only the letter before each number.

A B_____1. The girl a. with red and orange paint lost its break._____2. The car b. from the nearest hospital rushed to the site._____3. The ambulance c. wearing a green skirt and white blouse was crying for help._____4. The driver d. in his early 40’s drove too fast._____5. The scene e. on that day was unforgettable.

Work on This!

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Adjective phrase uses preposition, present participle, or past participle.

A phrase is a group of words without a subject or a predicate.Adjective phrases are introduced by prepositions like about, across, in, after, at, before, behind, below, by, during, for, into, of, on, outside, since, to, with, etc. these are also called prepositional phrases.They are also introduced by present participles –verb + -ing like wearing, dancing, eating, writing, etc.Past participles can also be used to introduce prepositional phrases like eaten, drunk, beaten, filled, driven, etc.Adjective phrase is written after the word it modifies.


Underline the adjective phrase in each sentence. Then write whether the word used to introduce the modifier is a preposition, a present participle or a past participle.

1. The song sang by my friends is dedicated to me.

2. The girl standing next to me inspires me a lot.

3. The choir in the church won in the contest.

4. He sent me a note of sympathy.

5. The basket filled with fresh fruits is on the table.

Work on This!Add adjective clauses on numbers 1 to 5, and add adjective phrases on numbers 6 to 10.

1. the artist _________________________________________________

2. a butterfly _________________________________________________

3. the library _________________________________________________

4. a time _________________________________________________

5. the child _________________________________________________

6. candles _________________________________________________

7. the mansion _________________________________________________

8. a beggar _________________________________________________

9. the garbage collector _________________________________________________

10. my dog _________________________________________________

Work on This!Construct sentences using your answer in the previous activity.

Show your answers to your facilitator.

Work on This!13


Use the following adjective clauses or phrases in complete sentences.

1. writing inspiring songs______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. who collected important documents______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. which I chose______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. where we used to visit______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. driven by hunger______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work on This!Underline the modifier used in each sentence. Then on the blank, write adjective clause or adjective phrase.

_________________1. Nash, who is so dear to Sophia, will celebrate his birthday soon.

_________________2. The venue, where the party will be held, is already renovated.

_________________3. The visitors wearing unique party costumes will receive special prizes.

_________________4. The party, which is scheduled two days from now, will surely be

unforgettable.

_________________5. The costumes hanging on the wall are all new.

_________________6. The balloons with character designs are expected to arrive ahead of all

the other decoration needed.

_________________7. The coordinator whom we consulted promised to give the best party

ever.

_________________8. Dona, who is the mother of Nash, invited an important personality.

_________________9. The man carrying Nash is Joel.

_________________10. He is the father of the celebrator.

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Let’s Work Together Form groups of five. Imagine that you are all well known poets. Construct a poem about any topic that interest you. Make sure to observe proper elements of poetry and clause and phrase modifiers in your poem.

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Plain and Simple

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We now have come to the end of this lesson. What are the lessons you learned? Write them down on the space given below.

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Post TestA. Directions: Identify what is being described in each statement.

________________1. It is a poem that tells a story.

________________2. These are forms of literature usually written in lines or verses.

________________3. It centers on a character in conflict with some force within or outside

himself.

________________4. It is a 14-line lyric of iambic pentameter.

________________5. These are usually descriptive or expository where the poet is concerned

mainly with presenting a scene in words.

B. Read the paragraph below. Encircle all the adjective clauses and underline all the adjective phrases.

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A friend whom you can really trust is hard to find. There maybe some who

are true but many are not. A friend is like a treasure in a box. You have to be patient

before you can find it. This box has a lock that one must open. A key hidden in a

secret place must be found first. It is hidden in a place where many obstacles await

you. The moment you see this key, you have to be very careful because others who

are just like you want it. You are very lucky if you already have a friend who is there

for you anytime. A friend standing beside you is rare. Be thankful if you have one.

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